Arrest made after man fired shots outside laundromat

GASTONIA - Police in Gastonia have arrested a man who fired several shots outside a laundromat, apparently hitting one person and frightening many others Monday morning.

Jerecos Markeve Byers, 25, turned himself in on Monday afternoon.

He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to seriously injure, which is a felony.

Michael Peterson works at a Family Dollar store directly across Davis Park Road from the laundromat.

“A little girl came in and said there's a man outside with a gun," Peterson said.

Peterson said the trouble had spilled over from the other parking lot, but the manager didn't wait to ask questions before acting.

"My other manager immediately came, saw what was going on, locked the doors, and took all the customers that were in the building at the time to our office, which is in the very back corner over here," Peterson said.

The customers and store employees stayed in the office until police arrived but by then the suspected shooter and some of the crowd had scattered.

But less than an hour later a man with a gunshot wound showed up at the Kings Mountain Hospital. A family member told Eyewitness News he would be fine, but she did not want to discuss the details of the shooting--including what may have sparked it.

Gastonia police had two officers at the hospital and were investigating the case late Monday afternoon but did not return calls for information about the incident.